There are many types of children's play equipment available for use out-of-doors, such as sandboxes, wading pools, climbing bars, swing sets and the like. They may be readily portable for use anywhere desired, or they may be readily assembled for use in one location but moving to another location would be difficult, or they may require permanent assembly and set up for use in one location.
Generally, play equipment for very young children is preferably readily portable and easily assembled for use in any desired location while being of the type of construction which is sturdy enough to withstand harsh treatment both during use or storage. For example, a child's wading pool, wherein the pool unit is generally large enough for a child to play while sitting or wading in a small amount of water, is of the type that could be easily moved and used on a variety of outdoor surfaces, would be sturdy enough to hold the desired quantity of water and a playing child or children, could be handled and moved, preferably by one adult, and most advantageously, would require only limited storage space.
Typically, a small, tub-like structure or the like fabricated from a self-supporting plastic or thin-wall metal, may be suitable for use as a portable wading pool or play area for a child. Generally, the activity of the child at play includes frequent ingress and egress from the "pool" area which results in rapid fouling of the water. Dirt, grass clippings and other such debris generally present in the area surrounding the "pool" would be picked up on the feet of the child and carried into the water where it would collect. Frequent replacement of the water is generally necessary to limit the amount of such debris and dirt that would accumulate in the area where the child would be playing or sitting. It would thus be desirable if simple means were provided for preventing, or greatly reducing, the accumulation of dirt and other debris in the play area of a child's outdoor play equipment such as a wading pool by cleaning such debris from the child's feet before entering such play area.